Firelands student presented with top reader award in her driveway

VERMILION — A group of Firelands Schools educators drove to Vermilion on Thursday to present a reading trophy and certificate to their student Aaliyah Yost, 12, a sixth-grader who teachers say was highly deserving of the recognition. The socially distanced ceremony was planned to honor Aaliyah's accomplishment of finishing 71 books during this school year. Reading teacher Debra Neal challenged all her students in September to read and comprehend 40 books before summer break, but Aaliyah passed that milestone shortly after Christmas. Despite completing the challenge, she kept reading, and by Thursday had turned the page on 71 different books. The teachers and their student bumped shoes and elbows in lieu of a high-five after she was presented with her award. The ceremony was kept secret from Aaliyah until the teachers showed up outside her house. Aaliyah said her favorite genres of books to read are realistic fiction, history and science fiction. Some personal favorite books of hers are the popular young adult novel "Everything Everything" by Nicola Yoon and "The Land of Stories" series by Chris Colfer. "Sometimes my life is chaotic and when I'm reading I'm just in my zone," Aaliyah said. But she doesn't just enjoy reading for escapism. She said she likes reading realistic books that tell stories about things that could happen in the real world. Her mother, Angelique Yost, said reading plays an important role in all her kids' lives. Aaliyah, like five of her siblings, is adopted. There are two foster children in the family as well, and Yost has three children by birth. With many of those children still living in the house, Yost said she has always encouraged reading to promote structure and a sense of rhythm. That structure has contributed to what she described as a remarkably calm household. "With (Aaliyah), because she started off life challenged, I used reading as a tool," she said. "Even before they could hold their bottles, they get books, the stories." She said Aaliyah in particular has a very vivid imagination and reading books has always been a soothing activity for her. Contact Dylan Reynolds at (440) 329-7123 or dreynolds@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @drey1357.